• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Ask Liz Weston

Get smart with your money

  • About
  • Liz’s Books
  • Speaking
  • Disclosure
  • Contact

fraud

Q&A: When is the right time to start simplifying your finances?

June 23, 2025 By Liz Weston Leave a Comment

Dear Liz: You recently answered a question about closing credit cards and mentioned the “mental load” of managing too many cards. That got me thinking about when is the right time to start simplifying my finances. I have lots of rewards credit cards and have opened several bank accounts to get bonuses, but I wonder at what age I should start consolidating so everything’s easier to track.

Answer: Simplifying our finances can allow us to better monitor our accounts, helping to avoid mistakes and fraud. Reducing the number of accounts we have also makes it easier for our trusted people to take over for us, should we become incapacitated.

But consolidating gets particularly important as we age and start to face cognitive deficits. Our financial decision-making abilities peak in our 50s, after all, and can really drop off in our 70s and 80s.

You can get ahead of this curve by consolidating accounts as you go along. When you leave a job, for example, consider rolling your old retirement account into your next employer’s plan or an IRA so that you don’t lose track of the money. If you’re thinking of opening a new bank account, consider whether there’s an old one you can close. Shuttering credit card accounts can affect your credit scores, so open new accounts sparingly and think about closing any that you’re not using, particularly if they’re newer or lower-limit cards.

Your 60s may be a good time to get serious about winnowing the number of accounts and institutions you’re juggling. Many people find it’s much easier to have one bank, one brokerage and a few credit cards than to have accounts scattered across the financial landscape.

Filed Under: Q&A, Retirement Tagged With: closing credit cards, cognitive decline, consolidating accounts, dementia, fraud, simplifying finances

Q&A: Should I be afraid of payment apps?

June 24, 2024 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: I pay rent via check (yes, I am aware of the risks). My landlord would prefer that I use Zelle, which has drawbacks. People have had their bank accounts drained. Also, I heard that peer-to-peer money transfer apps should only be used by friends and family, not for business, and not for large sums of money.

Answer: As you may know, Zelle payments are made instantly. If you send the money to the wrong party, you could be out of luck. Federal law protects you if your account was hacked, but not if you make a mistake or have been duped into sending money to a scam artist. (Zelle does investigate allegations of fraud, however, and may return the money if you’ve been deceived.)

Many people are comfortable using Zelle and other payment systems to send money to people and businesses they know well, while others aren’t. If you continue to use checks, make sure to mail them directly at the post office or use a shipping service that offers a tracking number, such as Fedex. Monitor your account closely and set up alerts that notify you when checks over a certain amount are cashed. Fraud related to check theft has soared, so you’ll need to be extra vigilant if you continue sending paper checks.

Filed Under: Identity Theft, Q&A, Scams Tagged With: check fraud, checks, fraud, mail theft, mobile payment apps, paper check fraud, payment apps, Zelle, Zelle scams

Q&A: Here’s a 2024 resolution: Stop using paper checks. Fraud is soaring

January 8, 2024 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: I had several checks stolen from the U.S. Postal Service. The thieves altered and cashed the checks. I monitor my bank accounts religiously and discovered the altered checks quickly. I immediately put holds on the checks and for the most part I have been reimbursed. One check, however, was written out to one bank for $4,339 and then cashed through another bank. The first bank told me they were pursuing the second bank for payment, and that when they get reimbursed, I’ll get reimbursed. I’ve been waiting since October 2022! Recently I received a letter from the first bank saying, in effect, that the other bank hasn’t responded so they consider the case closed. Basically, I’m out the money. This is obvious fraud and no one is taking it seriously.

Answer: Check fraud is soaring even as the use of checks has declined. Thieves take signed checks from mailboxes, sometimes using keys stolen from mail carriers, and “wash” them with common solvents such as nail polish remover. Once the checks dry, they change the amounts and payees and then cash the altered checks.

If you report the problem to your bank promptly — typically within 30 to 60 days of your statement date, depending on state law — then you should be made whole.

You can start by making a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau online or by calling (855) 411-2372. The CFPB has a pretty good track record of getting companies to respond.

Also, please look into other payment methods. Electronic payments are much more secure as well as faster and easier to trace.

Filed Under: Banking, Q&A Tagged With: fraud, paper check fraud

This week’s money news

January 30, 2023 By Liz Weston

This week’s top story: Smart Money podcast on no-spend month 2.0, and recovering from credit damage. In other news: February mortgage rates on the downslope by end of month, having a conversation about fraud with older adults, and how to save your job from laying off.

Smart Money Podcast: No-Spend Month 2.0, and Recovering From Credit Damage
This week’s episode starts with a conversation about how to do a no-spend month that will work for you.

February Mortgage Rates on the Downslope by End of Month
With inflation in retreat, mortgage rates could follow downward.

Have a Conversation (Not a Lecture) About Fraud With Older Adults
Chatting with older adults about fraud and scams could help everybody in the conversation avoid becoming a victim.

Industries Most Likely to See Layoffs + How to Save Your Job
Money News & Moves: As layoffs escalate, these are the jobs most at risk — and how to protect yours.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: conversation about fraud with older adults, February 2023 mortgage rates, fraud, layoffs, no-spend month, recovering from credit damage, save your jobs

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

December 22, 2020 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: What the new COVID relief package means for you and your money. Also in the news: Second relief bill and vaccine rollout attract fraudsters, taking advantage of student loan breaks before 2020 ends, and why a down payment is just the beginning of buying a new home.

What the New COVID Relief Package Means For Your Money
It includes $600 checks for millions of Americans and revives federal unemployment aid and loans for small businesses.

Scam Alert: Second Relief Bill, Vaccine Rollout Attract Fraudsters
Staying skeptical and reading up on common schemes can help you keep your money and personal financial info safe.

Take Advantage of Student Loan Breaks Before 2020 Ends
Consider making a lump-sum payment, addressing defaulted loans or refinancing private loans before the year ends.

Want to buy a home? A down payment is just the beginning
What can go wrong, will go wrong, and you’ll need cash to pay for repairs and everything else for your new home

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: COVID relief, down payments, fraud, home expenses, real estate, scams, Student Loans, vaccines

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

July 7, 2020 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: People with COVID-19 payment accommodations are finding mistakes in their credit files. Also in the news: 6 tips to teach your kids lifelong money lessons during the pandemic, Americans lost $77 million to Covid-19 fraud, and what to do if you can’t pay your taxes next week.

People with COVID-19 payment accommodations are finding mistakes in their credit files
One mistake could lower your credit score by nearly one hundred points.

Use these 6 tips to teach your kids lifelong money lessons during the pandemic
A unique opportunity.

Americans lost $77 million to Covid-19 fraud — and that’s just the ‘tip of the iceberg’
Scammers never rest.

What to do if you can’t pay your taxes next week
You have a few options.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: Coronavirus, Credit Score, fraud, kids and money, payment accommodations, Taxes

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 5
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Search

Copyright © 2025 · Ask Liz Weston 2.0 On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in